Sitting down to practice we might consider what we can learn today. It might be as simple as getting a feel for the piece, or more complicated like keeping to an exam preparation schedule. We might consider our state of mind be it haggard or alert and full of energy. Time constraints are another factor we might only have 15 minutes and how do we use that wisely.

I believe we have to rehearse differently depending on our state of mind. In order to process lots of data effectively we must be alert and have the necessary energy to do so. For this reason learning new pieces or new habits requires more energy while reviewing older pieces takes less.

Delighted to have received confirmation that thanks to a Canada Council Grants to Artists I will be able to continue my exploration of Asian music that began with Balinese music in 2012 and continued with Korean traditional music in 2013 and Thai music in 2014. This grant will allow me to attend the Madras Music Season, which is the largest music festival in the world and is devoted to South Indian classical music. Spanning some six weeks, large and small kutcheris (Carnatic music concerts) are performed, totaling around 1500 individual performances by various renowned and amateur artists.